Fulham Hold Manchester United to Frustrating Draw at Craven Cottage

Both sides share the points as Red Devils’ struggles continue on the road

Fulham and Manchester United fought to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Both teams remain without a win after two games this season. The draw adds to Manchester United’s tough start with manager Ruben Amorim. Fulham, on the other hand, is happy to avoid defeat against a team that had won eight straight games at home.

Match Details

The match started at 4:30 PM BST at Fulham’s famous Craven Cottage. Referee Chris Kavanagh was in charge. Both teams entered the match eager for their first win of the 2025-26 Premier League season. They were looking to bounce back from a tough opening weekend.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim switched things up after the 1-0 loss to Arsenal. He added Amad Diallo at right wing-back, taking out Diogo Dalot./strong>. Altay Bayindir controversially kept his spot in goal over Andre Onana. This comes after his mistake helped Arsenal score the winning goal last week.

Fulham boss Marco Silva made three changes from their 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Timothy Castagne, Ryan Sessegnon, and Rodrigo Muniz joined the starting lineup. Muniz scored a thrilling equalizer in the 97th minute against Brighton in their first game.

Team Selections Cause Debate

The team selections sparked considerable pre-match discussion. Amorim’s choice to stick with Bayindir surprised many at United. This came after the goalkeeper’s costly error in the match against Arsenal. Gary Neville criticized United’s goalkeeping this week. He referred to it as a “glaring issue” that needs urgent fixing.

Fulham’s starting eleven had Bernd Leno in goal. The back four included Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, and Timothy Castagne./strong>. Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic made up the midfield. Ryan Sessegnon, Josh King, and Alex Iwobi helped support striker Rodrigo Muniz./strong>.

Manchester United set up in Amorim’s favorite 3-4-2-1 formation. Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw made the back three. Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu played as wing-backs. Casemiro and captain Bruno Fernandes took on central midfield roles. The attacking trio featured Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount, and Matheus Cunha./strong>.

Historical Context

The fixture was historically important. Manchester United had won their last eight Premier League games at Craven Cottage. The Red Devils have never won nine away games in a row against any team in the Premier League. This could be a milestone match.

However, Fulham’s recent record against their Manchester rivals painted a challenging picture. The Cottagers won only once in their last 19 matches against United. That victory was a memorable 2-1 win at Old Trafford in February 2024.

Season Context

The draw leaves both teams with disappointing starts to their Premier League campaigns. Manchester United’s troubles under Amorim went on. The Portuguese manager has now lost 15 of his last 28 Premier League matches. That’s more defeats than in his whole 167-game run in Portugal’s top league.

For Fulham, the result represented another step forward under Silva’s management. The Portuguese coach was not happy with the club’s “passive” approach in the summer transfer market. Only goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte came in from Montpellier. Fulham had few new recruits, yet they still proved they could compete with richer teams.

Implications Moving Forward

Both clubs will aim for their first wins of the season in their next Premier League games. The pressure is growing on Amorim at Manchester United. Questions about his tactics and team choices, especially the goalkeeper position, are increasing.

Fulham will feel good about not losing to a team that often wins this match. But Silva wants to turn these strong games into wins as the season goes on.

Both teams must now build on this draw. They aim to find their place in the Premier League table after slow starts. This season is shaping up to be competitive.